How to be Happy in 2021 - Part 1

 

TEXT:  Psalm 1:1-6  – “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

 

The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

How to be happy in 2021. What a year 2020 was. It is all a choice – Do you want to be happy or sad? Happiness does not flow from the outside in – it comes from the inside out. Happiness and Joy are the work of God in us, but to experience and live a life filled with happiness and joy requires our partnership and cooperation with Him.

The focus on Psalm 1 is US.

The Key Word in this Psalm is BLESSED. Vine’s Expository Dictionary teaches – “blessed means happy:  This word connotes the state of ‘happiness’ that comes when a superior bestows his favor (or blessing) on someone.  Nearly every reference to being ‘blessed’ in the Scripture results from enjoying the favor of God.

We can be happy in 2021 by choosing to associate with the right people. People influence our lives – positive or negative. The Bible teaches this in a number of places –

• ·      1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
• ·      NIV   Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
• ·      The New Century Version says, “ Do not be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits.”

An old saying goes – “If you lie down with the dogs, you get up with the fleas.” Basically, this means that we can’t follow the crowd.

We cannot listen to what the crowd says.  (v. 1)NLT “Happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked...”

So, What is 'the counsel of the wicked' in our culture? Serve YOURSELF!  Satisfy your desires! Live for today!

Then, how do we know the truth? Check it against the word of God.

We cannot do what the crowd does. (v. 1) NLT” ...or stand around with sinners...” Most take the path of least resistance. Find the easy way. The blessed person takes the right way – not the easy way.

Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.” We often drift with the crowd.

And we cannot take a place among the Scornful (Scoffers)  (v. 1) NLT “...or join in with scoffers….” The word scornful means to mock, ridicule, slander, refuse, reject, or resist. Our churches today are filled with people that reuse the leadership of the Holy Spirit by slandering, mocking, rejecting, and resisting the leaders that God has placed in the church.

So, if we want to be happy in 2024, we need to associate with the right people.